Deliverance: The Sanctuary
by Wildeve of the Heath
Summary: When she arrived in Deliverance, it was pouring rain. From what she had learned of this place, it was quiet and calming, everything seemed to be forever untouched by the world outside. This was exactly what Hanji needed, a safe haven.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin

Deliverance: The Sanctuary

When she arrived in Deliverance, it was pouring rain. From what she had learned of this place, it was quiet and calming, everything seemed to be forever untouched by the world outside. This was exactly what Hanji needed, a safe haven.

A/N: Takes place two years before the events of Deliverance. Hanji-central. Sensitive topics will be delved into.

* * *

When she arrived in Deliverance, it was pouring rain. From what she had learned of this place, it was quiet and calming, everything seemed to be forever untouched by the world outside. This was exactly what Hanji needed, a safe haven.

She drove her car off of the ferry and into the street once she was cleared to drive. In her squad car were boxes of books and clothes, she wanted to live here but first, before she could get a home, she needed to stay in a rented room. The local radio softly hummed a slow, swaying country song, she found the drawls relaxing as she looked down the street.

The rented space she had taken was apparently part of a bookstore.

Perhaps she could get a job in there as something else for once.

That man, Hannes, recommended her to go here for work if no longer wanted no part in her previous career.

She definitely did not want a single thing to do with it.

It had been quite the journey to drive this far across the country on her own. Despite her broken knee, she had managed to press on, she ignored the doctor for the sake of letting herself recover in the best way she thought she could.

The exhaustion of travel and the need to run away overcame her fears.

Her mother always told her that finding a place in the crazy world where peace is abundant was the best cure for the mind.

She laughed under her breath; her mother never would have expected her to go to the other side of the States. Neither did Hanji herself but she had enough of everything. All she wanted now was time to herself and, given her bum leg, she would probably no longer be able to go back to work. She did not mind leaving and neither did Erwin; he understood her well.

The car pulled into the parking lot, her hands still on the wheel as she used it to lean forward and look up at the establishment. There was a sign atop it saying 'Oceanside Bookstore and Print, Est. 1890'. It seemed old and rustic, just like the barber shop next to it, there was an vacant shop on the other side of it with a 'For rent' sign.

Maybe she could open up a flower shop. Oh, she would love to, botany was always an interesting subject but connecting the meanings to them from the Romantic era, well, she would need some time before she would be sure of herself. She sighed at the pleasant thoughts, she tried her best to keep the past year behind her.

Hanji turned off the engine.

Her eyes followed up to the mirror of her visor. Behind her oval spectacles were eyes that were tired, fatigued even. The bags under her eyes were quite prominent, they were always there and she never minded them but now she saw them as ghastly. She blinked slowly, her hand went to rub the right.

Keep it together.

She finally reached back for her crutches.

With slight difficulty, she managed to pull them out and then she opened her door.

One foot, her good foot, was out first, then her crutches. Slowly, she hauled herself up and began to make her way to the door of the bookstore. Judging by the time, it was open for at least another half hour. She managed to get here but she was vastly late. At least she did not get completely soaked by the Pacific rain.

Her hand took the knob and turned it, she pulled the door open and then went in; the bells rang and she was greeted by a young man at the counter,"Hello there, you must be new around here."

"I am indeed," she said with a smile she returned. She walked further in, the door closed automatically behind her as she went up to the counter. "I'm Hanji Zoe, I called a few weeks back about the room. I take it you're Mr. Arlert?"

"Ah, Ms. Zoe! You're a bit late but it's alright, no one's really booking much nowadays," he warmly told her, he had taken note of her disability and he slightly frowned,"don't worry...but I would worry about your leg there though..."

"Forgot to mention to you, I broke my leg a couple months back and I need to have crutches for a tad bit longer. Can't go up the stairs, do you have a room on the ground floor?"

"Um...not exactly, all the guest rooms are on the second floor. Hold on, let me call my Grandfather. He's the one you spoke to on the phone, my name's Armin."

 _Armin_ headed for some back room, when the door opened, she heard some laughter and some sound from a television set. She wondered if there were more people here, she leaned a bit to peer into the room. Inside, she saw two people on a couch, one was reclined while the other had a bowl of popcorn. They both looked up at the young man when he came in.

She decided not to bother them, they must be his friends. From the looks of things, they were young as though they were old enough for college. She wondered if they were on break, after all, it was Spring.

As she pondered over who they were, the man returned, his frown still apparent. "Sorry, Ms. Zoe, again, we do not have a room on the ground floor. And my Grandfather and I do not have room at our own home. I could suggest the motel for you but they kinda have an asbestos issue..."

Hanji's smile slipped away. "Well...I suppose I can go back to the mainland."

"Can't, the ferry's closed by this time," Armin countered. "Again-"

There was an uproar of laughter from the backroom, he had forgotten to close it but when he turned his head to look at his two friends, he immediately faced her.

"I have an idea."

"Hm?"

"Eren, Mikasa, come out here!" He called to them.

"Hold on, we're getting to the best part!" Eren said as he waved him away; he stuffed his face with more popcorn. He seemed to be a rambunctious one.

"Eren!"

Mikasa nudged him and he glanced at her, she gave him a look of 'go on', prompting him to get up and place the popcorn down on the coffee table. Mikasa stood with him and they went out into the shop; the show or whatever they were watching was either muted or paused.

"What's up, Armin?" Eren asked, he did not mind being pulled away from entertainment, though it could be that there was a guest and he had to show his best.

Unlike Armin, who was dressed in a white button down and a vest, Eren and Mikasa were casually dressed. While he wore a green hoodie, she had on a sweater and had a red scarf around her neck. What was striking was that Mikasa had an oriental face to her, something she never saw out here unless she was in the city of Stohess back on the mainland.

"Who's this?"

Her good leg was beginning to kill her for standing up for so long, she needed to sit down again soon.

"This is Ms. Hanji Zoe. She's supposed to be the renter for the upstairs but she's got a bad leg here, doubt she can get up the stairs on her own. You guys are looking for renters, right? You got your clinic and it's a ground floor."

Eren's smile ebbed away. "...it's not really up for rent for the general public. If she were a doctor or some kind of physician, I could let her in and rent the place. Right now, we're only looking for medical practitioners..."

"Eren, we need the money," Mikasa said as she lightly tugged on his sleeve.

"I know we do, but it's-"

Hanji held up her hand from her crutch as best she could. "If I can have a word?"

Eren gave her a curt nod.

"I happen to be a doctor. Licensed and all."

"Really?" He said incredulously. "Where's your credentials?"

"In my car...just give me a moment."

They did not make a move to help her, she had to go outside herself. She wondered if she had raised suspicions with her spontaneous remark. She supposed that while there was the small town charm to those kids, it was still a norm for them to not trust an outsider so readily. In truth, she had her medical license before her last job; she helped Erwin on a case when she was treated one of the victims he found.

When he was interrogating the poor woman, Hanji apparently impressed him with her knowledge of toxicology; it was her part of her training after all. But then she grew bored of treating the living, she contacted him and after two years, she was able to get on the force with another license to practice forensics.

Those were the good days.

She was at the top of her game.

Now she was back out in the rain.

She went to the passenger's side and took out one of her bags, a duffle bag, she slung it over her back and then hobbled back to the door. This time, Mikasa was there to open it. She went in and, now slightly wet, she went to the counter; Eren aided her now as he took her duffle bag and placed it on the counter.

"Thanks," she said as she unzipped it.

Inside were her credentials and several other documents. She thought it best that when she traveled, she would at least have them in a safe place; unfortunately, she was a disorganized mess at all times. It took her a while but eventually she got out her certificates; she then took out her national registration that allowed her to practice in any state she pleased.

It was part of the perks of being in the FBI. Federal always trumped state.

"Seems pretty legitimate," Armin said.

"Now are you all assured that I am what I say I am?" She said as Eren took her medical license from one of the documents she had lain out on the counter.

He looked upon it with great scrutiny, so did Mikasa, his eyes looking at every single stamp, signature, and name.

"Says you're approved in the state of New York," he said.

She pointed at another one on the counter. "This one here gives me clearance to practice nationally."

Armin picked it up. "...signed by folks from the Medical Board in Washington, D.C. _This certificate hereby allows Doctor Hanji Zoe to practice medicine in the United States and its territories_...interesting, never seen these before."

"Neither have we," Eren said, he placed it back onto the pile as Hanji gave a weak smile. "What kind of doctor are you?"

"Doctor of Medicine," Hanji clarified. "From surgeries to a scrape on the knee, I can handle it...but, of course, if it were something specific, I would need to contact the mainland."

"Hm...I'll think about it..."

Mikasa grabbed his sleeve and leaned close to him, murmuring,"We need the money..."

"I said I'll think about it-"

"I have money to cover the down-payment," Hanji blurted out. She reached into her duffle again and pulled out her check book. In a small mug by the cash register, there was a ball-point, she took it and rested the tip onto the first line. "How much do you normally charge for rent?"

She just wanted a place to be safe and rest, she doubted these two young adults would be much threat to her. Judging by the demographics of this area, that Oriental girl, Mikasa, was the odd one out in this town. And her having a brother who fit in...well, Hanji knew it best to stick with the outliers in new places.

Hanji gave an expecting stare.

Eren's mouth was agape, he glanced at Mikasa, who gestured with her head to goad him into it. Whatever their money problems were, it must be bad enough to let in a stranger. Her credentials were enough on paper, she needed to put the work in to prove how useful she was. It should not be that hard, she did work in a hospital for several years.

"...the town does need a doctor," Armin pointed out. "Some old folks can't get to the mainland, worse if we have a storm that's worse than this and someone gets sick or hurt. Can't believe that you have power of all people to decide this, Eren."

"He does have a point," Mikasa agreed.

Eren eventually gave way and he offered his hand to Hanji. "There's legal paperwork that needs to be done, but that's easy."

She tore her hand away from the checkbook and shook his vigorously. "Thank you, Eren."

His grip was strong, it was as though he were testing her words; would she live up to them? Yes, of course.

Why?

She finally found a place of peace, just as her mother had taught her.

-...-

The funny thing about peace is that it can be disturbed even when the chaos is not physically present.

Hanji had woken up. sweat rolled down her skin as she sat in her nest of blankets. Her panting and hitching breaths were just a byproduct of the troubling thoughts that plagued her sleep. She had it happen several times on the road on the way here but the urgency to drive across the country overpowered her weakened mind.

But now, having finally gotten some well-earned rest, her mind slipped out of its guarded stance and had become vulnerable.

Physical exhaustion always came before mental exhaustion for her. The brain was a powerful thing, even when the body seems ready to collapse, the powerful organ would always work. Sleep? Eating? She forgets about those as her brain told her she was impeccable to human needs for the sake of solving the next case. These days, however, exhaustion was everywhere for her- there was no discerning where the fatigue came from anymore.

She rubbed her eyes and reached over to the bedside table to take her glasses. She rotated the nob to turn the light on; the room she was in was very different from her condo in New York. It was very scarcely decorated, boxes were shucked in the corner and there was an old, oak desk that was several decades old at the foot of her bed- it had the drawers on the top, sides, and that small bookshelf. Tucked in was a beaten office chair.

Her crutches were leaned against the desk. She did not want to get up yet at the same time she did not want to stay in one place.

She remembered Moblit, she failed to notice his kindness until now. Whenever she passed out in a lab, he was always there to put a blanket over her and help her complete the rest of the work.

Now she was on the other side of the country without him- she had to tuck herself to bed.

He was almost motherly towards her, he filled in the spot that was taken from her when she was younger.

Her hands gripped the sheets as she thought of the good days.

Reminiscing would get her nowhere.

Sure she could do it consciously but her mind endlessly did so in her sleep.

She could still hear the thunder of metal screeching in her ears, she shook her head until the sounds ebbed away.

It was her first night in Deliverance, she had woken up like a child who had moved into a new house. That alliteration was not so far off, she decided to get out of bed. If she did not understand something, she would always push herself to learn it.

A glance at the small clock on the desk told her it was three hours after midnight.

Mikasa and Eren had helped her move her stuff and helped her through the paperwork but then had left her alone when she needed to rest. Hanji had managed to dress herself into pajamas, though with slight difficulty over the knee brace. She subsequently passed out after having her medication for the pain- she had taken the full dosage for the night instead of the quarter ones she took on her journey.

Eventually, she leaned over to get her crutches and then stood up.

She slowly made her way across the wooden floor to get to the door, she swung it open as gently as she could but found the hinges to be a bit rusty. The two kids living here were down the hall and around the corner.

It was odd that they had no parents and, particularly Eren, had rights to an entire clinic. She had not had the time to ask the history of this place or what had happened to the last doctor. Perhaps there was some financial issue, she could figure it out if she could get her hands on the record room somewhere.

She had doubts that a small town would modernize itself. Physical copies should still be around.

But sneaking around and trying to figure out the history was no option, the best she could do was familiarize herself with the environment through gradual exploration.

Clouds covered the skies outside as she passed by the windows, the rain continued to pour outside.

It was like in the Northwest, endless rain, she found it comforting but when lightning flashed, her mind backpedaled and all she could see was crushed metal; the thunder came not so long after and she could hear the sound of screeching tires and feel the impact of metal against metal through the roar of the sky.

She froze for a few seconds, then felt her breath hitch in her throat.

Hanji felt her legs give way and before she felt the floor, there was only darkness.

She had forgone that fact that thunder was prevalent here, it was her bane.


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin

* * *

Her breath was caught in her throat again, her eyes flew open and she was at it again, sitting up automatically with her hands clutching the blankets.

"Do you need a doctor, Hanji?" Mikasa's voice asked from her left, Hanji turned her head immediately as she remembered how to breathe again.

She was back in her room with the lights turned on but dimmed low. A blurry Mikasa sat there in a sweater and blue pajamas that were loose and worn down, she had a mug in her hand that she sipped from. Hanji had a foggy memory of walking down the hallway, she recalled passing out but that was it. She took deep breaths and reached for her glasses, only to have the thin frame tap against her forearm.

Mikasa handed the spectacles to her, she slipped them on and then turned in bed slowly to face her, her back against the wall as she bent her good leg in and kept the other out.

"I found you down the hall, heard your crutches clatter after the thunder and came out," Mikasa simply said.

Hanji eventually found her words as she calmed down slowly,"The storm woke you up, didn't it?"

"No, I was awake."

"I wanted to look around, couldn't sleep," she said, it was half true after all. "Guess the meds came back in and knocked me out-" She clicked her tongue and gestured with her head downwards. She straightened her head to look at her once more; she wiped the sweat off her forehead. "-pretty strong stuff."

"If your meds were so strong, you wouldn't have woken up again so soon; it's only been half an hour."

"...really?"

Either the girl was smart or Hanji lost her edge in lying.

"You were murmuring in your sleep, a bit of a toss and turn, sweating too. My best guess is that it was a nightmare."

Hanji gave a reluctant nod.

Mikasa bluntly told her,"Something's wrong."

Hanji's flips faltered into a slight frown, she shifted her gaze to the floor to no longer see her face. "I suppose you're right."

She had to admit it; she was pretty transparent, especially within her first night. Even if she would try to hide it, it was blatantly obvious given a single observation of another during sleep. Earlier that evening when Eren was going through the paperwork, Mikasa stood by, quiet though she only spoke when her input was needed.

Other than that, Hanji had taken note that she was highly inhibited though now, talking to her was giving Hanji a chance to evaluate her better. At the same time, she knew the other girl had been evaluating her as well.

"Would you like to talk about it?" Mikasa inquired.

"...it was a car accident a few months ago, that's why I'm in crutches," Hanji admitted, she found it as a common occurrence among normal people. It was what happened after all, that and the other thing that happened with it, she would rather keep it to herself.

"It must have been real bad then for you to be this way in your sleep."

"When it happened, there was a storm, thunder and all," she went on to explain,"...sort of developed brontaphobia actually afterwards."

"You picked a poor place to be at then, especially at this time of the year," Mikasa informed her.

Hanji was not thinking when she came here, she figured that it would be a while before she could return to her old self. Then again, at this moment, she felt that it was impossible; she was in a place that she felt that she could recover but that one thing, the weather, could be her only downfall. She was surprised she managed to drive here all on her own, she pushed away her fears as she drove on.

It felt like a dream when she tried to remember her journey getting here.

During her first few weeks out of the hospital, she refused to drive or be in a car at all. Moblit had to coax her for at least an hour to get into his car; she tried to blindfold herself, tried to listen to music, in the end she was prescribed anxiety medication. She had to wait for the effects to kick in, then soon enough, she was able to ride in a vehicle with Moblit.

A long while was all it took to adapt once again to a car, she figured that she could do it once more when she heard Mikasa tell her that thunder had made its home here.

The only issue she had was driving with a passenger- Moblit tried to teach her how to drive again but when they sat there in the parking lot, she gripped the wheel and refused to drive until he got out. He had to stand outside and follow while guiding her.

"I can adjust," Hanji assured her, though it was more for herself. "Humans are surprisingly resilient, even to the worst of things."

"You're not wrong," Mikasa agreed.

They were quiet for a moment, Hanji had finally brought herself to look at her to see that she was sipping at her tea.

As long as she was here, she may as well make conversation. "What are you doing up so late?"

"I can't sleep."

"Do you...have insomnia?" Mikasa gave a nod as she drank a bit more. "Would _you_ like to talk about it?"

"I'm not the one who passed out in the hallway."

Hanji snorted out a laugh,"I told you my reason. Don't worry, I'm a doctor...patient confidentiality and all whether or not I'm on duty."

Mikasa settled the mug in her lap. "Were you trained in clinical psychology?"

"Essentially, yeah." That was part of her last job after all. "I'm not so full of myself to deny there is something wrong with me."

Mikasa did not skip a beat to finally answer her question,"I was in a car accident too when I was little, both my parents died. It's old news here, small down and all but it happened to me. As you said, humans are resilient."

Hanji's eyes softened for her. "...had you been seeing anyone all this time?"

"I have Eren, his family took me in after it happened, they were family friends with us; he's not my biological brother but I see him as one. His father helped me when he could, he was the all-round doctor here after all. The insomnia isn't as bad as it once was but there are times I can't sleep, I'm doing alright for myself though."

"It's good that you hadn't let it take control of your life..."

"It happened and it's a part of my life, I learned to live with it...that and Eren helped me through everything. So...I understand what you're going through."

"I appreciate that you took the time to speak with me."

"It's no problem, Hanji. Do you think you can go back to bed?"

Hanji glanced at the clock on the desk. It was about five in the morning, normally she would wake up at this time but exhaustion was taking over her. Eren had given her until Monday to rest and prepare for patients should they need to walk-in. That was only four days from now. She may as well sleep in until she felt better. She finally answered her,"I think I can."

"Well, if you need me, I'll be in my room. I'm getting tired myself."

Mikasa got up from the chair, Hanji watched her leave for the door. "Do you want this open or closed?"

"...closed please- oh, Mikasa?"

"Yeah?"

"...is there going to be any more thunder?"

Mikasa looked at the window to see the outside, she replied,"Don't think so. The thunder took longer earlier to follow lightning."

"...thanks, and the light, could you get it?"

Her hand flipped the switch to turn the light off completely. "Good night, Hanji."

"Night..."

Hanji felt like a kid again but she did not mind, she was comforted.

-...-

She woke up again, though this time she did not startle herself awake.

There was no violent jolt but she was groggy. She rubbed her eyes to take away some of the sleep, then she reached out for her glasses. She put them on, got dressed for the day- she took some jeans and a tank top with a zipped sweater for a the cold from her luggage. Now that she thought about it, she left most of her clothes back at her condo.

She only took what she could take in her largest luggage, she had a modest collection of shoes, only a third was in a box somewhere.

Her crutches were back under her arms and she then made her way down the hallway.

She could smell fresh bacon and eggs coming from down the hall. She remembered the lounge and kitchen area where Eren, Mikasa, and her were at when she signed the documents. Soon enough, she got there to find Mikasa cooking the last of breakfast and Eren drinking coffee with an empty plate in front of him; Mikasa, now decently dressed, sported her red scarf.

Oddly, Hanji noticed it first of all things.

The television set on the other side was showing the news.

 _"...and today we have an update on the robbery in Seattle, numerous puppies that were stolen from the pet store were found, along with the suspect..."_

"They finally found the pups!" Eren echoed, he chuckled as he brought the mug to his lips.

Upon seeing Hanji, he brought it down.

"Mornin', Hanji."

"Morning," Hanji replied.

Mikasa glanced at her then returned to flipping the eggs. "Knew you would wake up eventually. Eren wanted to have breakfast with you."

"Oh?"

Eren lifted his brows for a moment to back up Miasa's statement.

"Gladly," Hanji said pleasantly, she would rather get to know him better since they would all be living together here. She found it odd at first that they were living in a clinic but, for the sake of convenience and not having this sort of luxury back in her old job, she never questioned it.

She moved towards the plate rack for a fresh plate but Mikasa stopped her, telling her,"Go sit down, I got you."

"Thank you," Hanji said with a smile- they seemed more friendly compared to yesterday. Perhaps Eren was not as hostile as she thought when he got up and pulled out a chair for her. She sat down and he scooted her in a bit. "Thank you, too."

Pulling out her chair? She felt that something was up but, seeing as how Mikasa took her time early in the morning, she found it better than to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"How was your sleep?" Eren asked her after he lowered the volume on the television.

Hanji shrugged. "It was alright, a bit rough but I'll get used to it. The thunder didn't wake you?"

"Eren sleeps like a bear," Mikasa said,"it was a pain to wake him up during high school."

Eren rolled his eyes as Mikasa placed two plates down for herself and Hanji.

"What do you want to drink?"

"...coffee, a little bit of milk, no sugar," Hanji said after she thought about it, Mikasa complied and placed down a mug for her. "Thank you."

Mikasa sat down with some water as Hanji took the utensils and ate- surprisingly, this was very good compared to what she normally ate on the job. She never exactly had a proper meal though Moblit often pushed her to do so. When she resigned from her last job, she managed to survive by teaching herself to cook but...that never ended up well.

She was a horrible cook, it was only good enough for consumption but not enjoyment.

As she took bites of the eggs and pieces of bacon, she thought to how much she tried to cook properly. No matter what, she never liked her own culinary skills.

"So, Hanji, how do you like it here so far?"

"Hadn't gotten to really exploring much but I'd like to see the facility after breakfast to have a better understanding of what I can work with. Other than that, I think it's quite quaint here. Never had my own private practice to be honest but as I told you earlier, I have worked at a hospital. Shouldn't be much of a change."

"Well, like I told you last night, you won't just be a single doctor for one body part. Lucky for us, you're a medical doctor, but unlucky for you, you're the town's only expert. We have a vet across town, people have been going to him for a while but he can only do so much. I can show you the medical records room, I can tell you this, my father delivered my generation's kids himself."

"That's truly small town..."

"Yup. Basically, starting Monday, the town is gonna depend on you."

Hanji ate as he told her this, she knew that feeling though it was heavier than it was back when she worked at a general hospital in New York. Again, she grew tired of saving lives, she loved to solve mysteries of how lives ended but now, she felt it was best to go back to something she was more familiar with.

Saving lives.

"We can take care of the orders for medication and equipment, all the things you need to keep working here," Eren went on. "Just let us know and we'll get it as soon as we can, but just know our town isn't exactly on the top of the order list sometimes so you need to keep track of the stock you need most. We can take care of the basic necessities."

"That's fantastic to hear, what about patients?"

"Some would want to book an appointment if they're busy or need to see you specifically, most are just walk-ins."

Hanji nodded. "Are you two going to take care of it?"

"Normally we do, yes, but once a month we take a few nights and days off."

"Oh?"

"We visit our mothers," Mikasa said flatly.

She could not protest that at all."I see...well, I can handle things on my own for a few days, it's not a problem."

It really was not. She already knew of Mikasa's mother and yesterday, Eren told her about how his mother passed away as well when they were children. She knew that his father left as well, they had a difficult time growing up but they seemed to have matured quickly despite the tragedies. She felt like she would fit in somehow.

"Great. It'll take a bit but we'll get in the swing of routine and get this place up and running properly."

Eventually, they were done with breakfast and idly conversing. She learned that the two were a year apart with Mikasa being older at twenty-four. Eren was a hunter by hobby but would replenish the supply of meat, Deliverance did not have a strict law against hunting out of season, it was normal; poaching was obviously illegal and Eren seemed to be trusted by authorities enough to hunt when needed.

Mikasa hunted as well and would go off on trips with him. Hanji did not tell them that she was trained for combat but she lied to them that she knew how to handle firearms. Eren jokingly challenged her to a shoot-off with targets when she got better to stand on her own. He had dreams to enter the military, specifically the Navy SEALs, she figured he had the experience and build for it but he decided to stay home.

Mikasa had been against his dream from the very start and it was understandable.

The subject was dropped and they went on for Hanji to tell them of her medical experience in detail. She told them of that one time she had a patient who thought that it was a fantastic idea to use tongs to retrieve a sex toy out of his rectum but ended up getting both objects stuck and ending up in ER.

They had a good laugh at that.

Eren got up and gathered their dishes to wash. "Mikasa cooked today, I gotta wash so she can give you a proper tour. Y'know, one of these days, you're going to cook breakfast."

Hanji shook her head,"I'd rather not...I'm horrible at cooking."

"Shouldn't be as bad as Hannes," Eren chuckled. "He can fuck up some scrambled eggs."

Hanji smiled, when she met Hannes back in Stohess during her last assignment as an agent, he seemed to strike her as a small town cop; thick accent, Western sway in his walk, always smelled of booze. He was kind but she wondered how he managed to keep his job. She kept it to herself that she knew Hannes though eventually she would have to call him one day to tell him to keep quiet.

He seemed like an honest man of his word.

-...-

Mikasa showed her around the North side of the clinic; the living quarters for staff and residents lived in the East wing..

The patient rooms were standard with examination beds, supplies seemed to be fully stocked- she told Hanji that the last doctor had left a month ago and the bet sparingly used their medical supplies. There was also a maternity room as well- small town doctors had a tendency to deliver most of the residents' children. Hanji had some experience in the field, enough to deliver, but it was a rare occasion for her to do so as she was not often stationed in the maternity ward.

After that, there was an x-ray room. Hanji recognized the model to be a bit outdated but it could get the job done, it was still operational, the siblings knew some basic ways to maintain most equipment. Hanji was then taken to the laboratories- apparently Dr. Yaeger, Eren's father, had a hobby of chemistry; the two had no idea what he was up to and often left the room on its own and locked.

Hanji figured she could use it some day in case she felt the need to play around- Mikasa merely shrugged and gave her the keys.

Then came the emergency room- there were six beds and, upon examining the medicine cabinet, there were medications for needed emergencies. A crash cart was there as well, monitors were, again, slightly outdated but these things could work for her for now.

"Seems like we could use a bit of an upgrade," Hanji commented as she examined the dials on an EKG machine. She had Mikasa on the bed with a few thin cords coming from under her shirt. "We had newer ones where the sensor is just one and clasps on your finger."

"We don't exactly have the money for that," she reminded her.

She found Mikasa's vitals normal, she took the alligator clips off of the strips and allowed her to remove the strips from her chest.

"I'll figure something out," Hanji said. "Have friends back in New York, I'll call them and ask if they have some medical equipment to spare."

"No qualms about that," Mikasa said, relieved.

Hanji powered down the machine and grabbed her crutches to stand up. "Well, you seem to be fine, your blood pressure is normal, so is your heart. Is there anything else? This place is rather big to be a clinic..."

"I can show you where the record room and doctor's office are but first I need to show you the morgue."

"Morgue?" Hanji questioned, brow raised.

She did not expect that.

"Decades ago, doctors also worked as coroners. We had a coroner at the police station but he passed away a year ago. I think it's best to show you where the morgue is though, it'll be a while before we can get a proper replacement for Mike."

She met Mike as well with Hannes, he had an odd habit of sniffing people, whether they were dead or alive. He was slightly older than her but pretty healthy.

"What happened to him?"

"He slipped and fell while hiking in the mountains. Hannes says it was an accident..." She did not seem convinced, now Hanji was curious to know whether or not it was foul play. "...anyway, c'mon."

-...-

It was early afternoon when they were done. Apparently there was a lift system for cadavers to reach the storage room in the basement. There were three examination tables in the morgue, it was smaller than what she was used to but the tools needed were there and ready for use.

Entering the morgue brought back memories when she would speak to her newest victim of murder and wonder what happened to them as she went through the usual procedures. She smiled a bit when she opened one of the drawers to have a peek at the tools.

"Something funny?" Mikasa questioned.

"Nah, just brings me back to med school," she lied easily. "Those were interesting classes. Before we took up operating on live people, we used cadavers to practice on."

"So that's what happens when you donate your body to science."

"That's just one ending for someone's life, there's many more," Hanji said, she picked up some clamps and gazed upon it.

These were standard tools, the facility lacked the fancy gadgets she had before- she would have to go old school with this if she had a body to examine. Besides, she was in no rush to find out how one would expire, that was a luxury she never had back in the Bureau. She placed the clamps back and closed the drawer.

She wondered if there was a kit anywhere for field use.

"Do you think you need anything here?"

"I have good enough tools here and I can have some use of the chemistry lab if need be. Other than that, the rest of the technology could be replaced. Again, I'll take care of it."

"Good. Well, I have nothing much to do for the afternoon so if you need anything to help settle in, I'll be in my room."

Mikasa let Hanji through the door first, she slowly made her way by and made her way down the hallway, though she stopped for a moment. Now that she was free, she had to take care of her room first. One of the things Hanji loved to do was create a space for herself but it did not mean that she would keep it neat. She had a tendency to leave things unchecked for quite a while.

She thought about it for a moment; there was very few furniture in her room. The closest thing she had to storage were her boxes, she needed some cabinets and maybe a wardrobe. Something to keep her things.

"Ah, Mikasa," she said before the girl could leave, she Mikasa paused,"perhaps you can help. My room doesn't exactly have furnishings."

"We sold most of the furniture in unused rooms a few years ago...and we don't have a furniture store on this island." Realization seemed to rise in her cool eyes. "We could ask Sasha, see if she has anything."

-...-

Eren was waiting outside for someone when Hanji and Mikasa emerged from the clinic.

The day was bright and sunny, though the asphalt was glossy with remaining pools of water. Hanji could feel the moistness in the air though it was not hot enough to make it humid. She found her nose twitching at the smell of Eren's cigarette as he looked over at them, wisps drifted from his nose.

"What's up?"

"We're going to Sasha for some furniture."

"Oh, right," he said, nodding, he then tossed a pair of keys to Mikasa,"you two get on going."

"Any reason you are out here?" Hanji inquired as Mikasa went to get the truck.

"Waiting in on Marco, gotta help them up at the ranch. Storm blew over some fence lines and tore open a hole in the barn, it'll take all day to fix it up."

"Is there anyone else helping?" She heard the engine roar to life a few yards down, their vehicle was a silver pick-up that had seen better years.

Eren flicked away the cigarette as another truck came down the road and pulled into the parking lot. "Nah, just me. Reiner and Bert got their hands full up at Jean's ranch and I'm the only one available right now."

It was a small town, repairs were done by their own hands. There were no services from professional workers, only a phone call for a few good men or women that could help out. She felt a sense of community among these people, she hoped that she could fit in to live in peace and recover. This sort of environment was new to her, she decided she wanted to learn more.

A black pick-up rolled up and Eren opened the door, inside she saw a freckled man who smiled at her. She guessed him to be Marco.

"Afternoon, ma'am."

"Good afternoon," she replied as Mikasa pulled up behind Marco.

"That's our new doctor," Eren said with a broad smile.

"Really?" Marco asked, surprised.

"Yup."

"Lots a people will be relieved then, no more going to the mainland!"

Hanji chuckled as she found herself beginning to smile. "I'll make sure of that. You two be careful!"

"We will, Doc," Marco said, and with that he drove off.

Hanji felt warmth in her chest- only in old Westerns did she heard physicians be called by that. Docs were those who the townspeople felt comfortable going to, doctors were just workers in a hospital who juggled patients around. She wondered how quickly she could gain popularity here and, with the increasing feeling of being at home here, how much she could be depended upon.

This was something she hoped to achieve when she worked back in the hospital; personal interaction was scarce in a large facility.

Maybe that was why she quit to be among the dead.

Mikasa finally got to her, Hanji opened the door and pulled her crutches over for Mikasa to take and rest them in the backseats. She clambered in and settled in the passenger side, she could feel the vibrating rumble of the engine. Once settled in, Mikasa headed for the main road and drove off.

"Was that Marco?"

"I believe so, nice fellow," Hanji commented.

Mikasa stopped at a stop sign. "Let me guess, something got damaged at the ranch."

"You're correct."

"If Ymir were back, Eren wouldn't be going up there to help. If he did, he would be paid."

"Ymir?"

"She's the technical owner of that ranch but she left for college a while back. Been six years, she could be coming back soon but Sasha says that she's going to stay there a bit longer. Some sort of research. Her father and mother are still there, they don't really do much for upkeep like she did."

Hanji raised a brow. "Her parents don't pay for help?"

"They don't exactly have the money, they're barely getting by paying off Marco. Then again, he lives there so him doing work at all is enough payment."

"Huh..."

"He doesn't want to leave that place either, I think he wants to keep Ymir's things in order. They go way back as friends."

As they drove on, Hanji looked out the window to see a view of the ocean's shining surface. It was calmer compared to last night. As she gazed beyond the trees and bushes, she wondered why the last doctor left the town. Everything seemed quite normal and quaint. Though there was the death of Mike that made Hanji believe that not everything seemed to be as they are.

Regardless, she tried to stifle any suspicions; she was here to recover, not fall back on oddities that had gotten her here in the first place.

She rested her head against the door as her thoughts meandered into how she was going to decorate her room.


End file.
